Looking for an easy yogurt cake recipe that’s healthy but still delicious?
Hi friend. I have the perfect recipe for you.
I’m Alessia, the writer and founder behind Italy with an Italian.
Today, I’d like to share with you my trusted yogurt cake recipe with olive oil and chocolate chips. It’s my go-to cake recipe – the one I like to make for special breakfasts, like Christmas morning, but one that works equally all year round, including when I want to bake a cake to gift.
It’s super easy to make, and the result is a fluffy, moist, and fragrant cake that breaks apart to reveal little chocolate bites. Of course, you can replace the chocolate chips with nuts, or dried fruit, or opt for chunky chocolate bites in your favorite flavor.
Let’s make it together.
NOTE: In this post, I will also be testing 3 variations: my usual recipe, the French version, and a more American one. Read to find out which I think is the best in terms of moistness and flavor.
Table of Contents
My Test Results: Which Yogurt Cake Recipe Is Better?
As I already mentioned, I tested 3 variations of this yogurt cake with the main goal of seeing which amount and type of yogurt resulted in the nicest tasting cake. I tested them in terms of moisture and overall taste.
This is the key difference between each cake:
- Cake one had my normal amount of Greek Yogurt.
- Cake two had double the amount, which is common in the US.
- Cake three used my usual amount of yogurt, but regular yogurt, not Greek. This is what the French recipe does. And this is what my grandma used to do too. I believe she got her recipe on an Italian cooking show.
All the other ingredients are completely the same.
Each mini cake cooked for this amount of time:
- Cake one cooked for 30 minutes.
- Cake two cooked for 40 minutes.
- Cake three also cooked for 30 minutes.
Please, keep in mind that if you choose one variation, your larger cake will take slightly longer than this. Hence, why I suggest checking it after 45 minutes with a poking stick.
Tasting the cakes while warm:
- Cake one tasted like my normal yogurt cake.
- Cake two was the moistest.
- Cake three was the tastiest. By tastiest, I mean that I could really taste the extra virgin olive oil fruitiness which pairs beautifully with the chocolate chips.
Tasting the cakes the next day, at room temperature and warm:
I confirm the above results.
My conclusions:
- However, if you are looking for the most protein, then double the Greek yogurt will give you that. That’s variation 2 above.5 Reasons To Try This Yogurt Cake Recipe
- After all the testing and tasting, I believe that Greek yogurt adds moistness but also covers the taste of the other ingredients, more than regular yogurt.
- I wish I had tested a cake with double the regular yogurt. I think that might have been the best option in terms of taste and moistness.
5 Reasons To Try This Yogurt Cake Recipe
1. It’s so easy and quick to make. You can make it with an electric whisk, or with a regular whisk.
2. It’s simple yet delicious. You don’t need to do any extra work. This cake tastes delicious with just a dusting of powdered sugar. And if you’d like to skip that, it’s perfect without it too, enjoyed with your cup of tea or coffee, with a dollop of Greek yogurt, or a scoop of homemade ice cream.
3. The olive oil makes this yogurt cake extra moist and fragrant. If you’ve never baked a cake with olive oil, this is the perfect recipe to try it. You are going to love it. The key is to use a good quality extra virgin olive oil. This is the one I use.
4. A healthier recipe that doesn’t compromise on taste. I love baking healthier cakes, replacing ingredients with cleaner options, but still make sure the final result is indulgent. Because what’s the point of eating cake if it doesn’t taste incredible?? The chocolate chips are the perfect addition to give this cake that extra bit of indulgence that makes you smile with every bite.
5. A family recipe that never fails to amaze. My recipe is based on my Italian nonna’s yogurt cake recipe. She’s the one who taught me to use yogurt in cake to make it extra moist and fluffy. I use this same recipe as the base of all my cakes because it works so well.
Yogurt Cake FAQ
If you are new to baking cakes with yogurt and have a few questions popping up in your head, I hope you’ll find the answers here, before we move to the recipe.
Is yogurt cake healthy?
Yogurt cake can be as healthy as you make it. Adding yogurt, especially Greek yogurt, makes your cake higher in protein. However, for your yogurt cake to be healthy you must pay attention to all the ingredients you are using. My recipe balances healthy and tasty. If you’d like an even healthier recipe, you can try a flourless yogurt cake, a cake that has more yogurt than flour ratio, etc.
What are the ingredients in yogurt cake?
Different yogurt cake recipes use different ingredients. There are recipes with and without flour, recipes with a jar of yogurt and others that use much more than that. However, most recipes include your usual cake ingredients, with the addition of yogurt – flour, raising agent, sugar, salt, eggs, butter or oil.
What type of yogurt do you use in yogurt cake?
Full fat Greek yogurt is the common ingredient in most modern yogurt recipes. However, the original French yogurt cake (called gâteau au yaourt in French) uses a regular plain yogurt. That’s what my grandma used too.
I usually use Greek yogurt, but today I am testing both types, so I can report back to you.
If you are not sure which one to use, you can decide based on the type of cake you’d like to eat: Greek yogurt gives you a moist but denser cake, while plain yogurt gives you a lighter cake with a finer crumb. After testing different types and quantities of yogurt, I am not sure if I fully agree. You will find my tests and results further down on this page.
Can you use sweetened yogurt to make yogurt cake?
You can, but if the yogurt is too sweet, you might want to adjust the amount of sugar you use in your yogurt cake recipe. Otherwise, you might get a cake that’s sickly sweet.
Can you use flavored yogurt in yogurt cake?
You can, and that’s what my grandma used to do. If she was making a vanilla yogurt cake, she would buy a plain vanilla yogurt; the same for lemon, or strawberry yogurt cakes.
However, if you, like me, don’t like flavored yogurts, I’d suggest you stick to plain yogurt, preferably unsweetened, and add your flavors and sugar the natural way.
Can you make yogurt cake dairy free or vegan?
Yes, you can. Just use the yogurt you prefer – vegan with added protein, which is usually thicker, for a denser moist yogurt cake; or a plain vegan yogurt if you want a softer, more delicate yogurt cake that breaks apart. Avoid using plain vegan yogurts that are too liquid, or adjust the other liquid quantities to avoid a cake that’s too wet.
What is the 1-2-3-4 method for making yogurt cake?
It’s the classic French yogurt cake method. It consists in simply using these proportions to make your yogurt cake: 1 container yogurt, 1 container oil, 2 containers sugar, 3 containers flour, and 4 eggs. My recipe doesn’t follow this method exactly, but the proportions are very similar. I usually use less sugar for a healthier cake.
My Easy Olive Oil Yogurt Cake Recipe With Chocolate Chips
I love my usual yogurt cake recipe but I also like testing new things, especially when I am about to share a recipe with my readers. So, that’s what I am doing today.
In this recipe, I am comparing my trusted recipe with two variations: one that’s closer to the original French yogurt cake recipe, and one that uses double the yogurt. The latter is usually the way Americans make their yogurt cake, with double the yogurt but also double the sugar. I will only be doubling the yogurt, as I still would like to retain a healthier recipe.
This means you’ll get the ingredients for each variation, and my final thoughts on each. The method will be the same. You can then choose which variation to try, or do like me and try them all. I am simply dividing my batter into three and making smaller cakes.
I bought this mini loaf pans size. You’ll need three for the amount of batter this cake makes.
Variation 1: My Usual Italian Yogurt Cake Recipe
Ingredients
- ⅔ cup plain Greek yogurt
- ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
- Nearly 1 cup sugar (I use coconut sugar, but you can use your favorite baking sugar)
- 1 cup + ⅔ flour (I use 00 flour)
- 3 eggs
- ½ teaspoon vanilla essence
- 1 sachet Italian baking mix (or 2 teaspoons baking powder + 1/2 teaspoon baking soda)
- A pinch of salt
- 100 gr milk chocolate chips
Equipment
- 2 large bowls
- 3 tablespoons
- 1 teaspoon
- 1 spatula
- 1 electric or regular whisk
- Baking dish
- Baking paper
- Poking stick
- Measuring cups
How To Make The Yogurt Cake
Do this in bowl one:
- Crack the eggs.
- Add the sugar.
- Add the vanilla essence.
- Mix with your whisk (electric or normal).
- Add the olive oil in two parts, mixing after each.
- If you are only doing one recipe, you can add all your yogurt now, and whisk again.
- If you’d like to test different types and quantities of yogurt like I did, follow the method I explain after listing the other variations.
Do this in bowl two and combine:
- Combine the flour, salt, and baking mix into your other bowl.
- Mix well with a spoon.
- Add ⅓ of the dry ingredients into the bowl with the wet ingredients.
- Combine with the whisk.
- Repeat two other times until you’ve added all the flour mix.
- Add the chocolate chips and use a spatula to fold them in.
- Your yogurt cake batter is ready to bake.
- Pre-heat your oven to 180°C or 350°F.
- Bake for 45 minutes in the lower level of your oven.
- After 45 minutes, check your yogurt cake with a poking stick. If it comes clean, your cake is ready. If not, leave it for another 5 minutes.
Note: Each variation below has a different baking time.
Variation 2: Double The Greek Yogurt (American version)
Ingredients
- 1.3 cups Greek yogurt
- ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
- Almost 1 cup coconut sugar
- 1 cup + ⅔ flour 00
- 3 eggs
- ½ teaspoon vanilla essence
- 1 sachet Italian baking mix (or 2 teaspoons baking powder + 1/2 teaspoon baking soda)
- A pinch of salt
- 100 gr milk chocolate chips
Equipment & Method:
They are the same as variation 1.
Variation 3: French Plain Yogurt Cake Recipe
Ingredients
- ⅔ cup plain yogurt (not Greek)
- ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
- Just under 1 cup coconut sugar
- 1 cup + ⅔ flour 00
- 3 eggs
- ½ teaspoon vanilla essence
- 1 sachet Italian baking mix (or 2 teaspoons baking powder + 1/2 teaspoon baking soda)
- A pinch of salt
- 100 gr milk chocolate chips
Equipment & Method:
They are the same as variation 1.
Bake Another Healthy Italian Cake
If you loved this recipe, you’ll also enjoy my other Italian cake recipes. They are all healthy and delicious, but you’ll find more indulgent ones – like my chocolate glazed cake, and ones that are perfect for every day – like my banana bread.
You can find them all here:
Healthy Banana Bread With Olive Oil
Orange Olive Oil Cake With Yogurt (2 variations)
Pumpkin Bread With Olive Oil, Amaretti Streusel & Healthy Frosting
If you’d like to get more healthy Italian recipes, come join my Italian newsletter. It’s called Buona Settimana and it lands in your inbox every Sunday. It’s like chatting with your Italian friend. You can subscribe through one of the sign up boxes on this page. I hope to see you there.
Please like and share this recipe with a friend, or two.
I truly hope you try and enjoy this recipe.
A presto,
Alessia
